1. Field
One embodiment of the invention relates to a program recording system for recording a variety of programs, especially, a television (TV) program, on a recording appliance connected to a network; and relates to a receiver, a program recording controller, and a program recording control method for use in the system.
2. Description of the Related Art
In terms of recording of a service program, although a recording method using an analog-type tape used in a system such as the Video Home System (VHS) has mainly prevailed in a conventional manner, the recording method has been changed to a digital system in accordance with the recent development of digital technology.
The recording method in the digital system can suppress to reading zero deterioration in image quality and sound quality caused in recording in an analog system.
Furthermore, it becomes possible for the digital system to record not only a video and a sound but a variety of kinds of data on a one medium and to connect to an unconventional personal computer (PC) appliance.
On the other hand, securing of less deterioration in image quality and sound quality and of convenience in the PC appliance causes to extremely and easily produce an accurate copy to an original image and shows a tendency to produce selling and buying of commercial goods on an illegal distribution route against a program producer's intent.
A law has been world-widely prepared to protect copyright and image right by defining the copyright and image right of the program producer so as to prevent such illegal actions.
The Japanese Patent Application Publication (KOKAI) No. 2002-344921 discloses a content receiver configured to have a function of disabling the recording appliance with no permission to receive a service program.
Digital transmission content protection (DTCP) widely used for IEEE 1394 and HDCP used for digital video interactive (DVI)/HDMI have been available as a technical schema to define the copyright and image right of the program producer to protect the rights. Both of them are defined in their technique and operation standard on the basis of the agreement between a manufacturer to manufacture and sell the recording appliance and a program producer to produce and sell the program.
Accordingly, it is possible for a viewer to achieve a desire thereof intending to record the program and view it at other times while protecting the right of a copyright holder by using a copyright protective technique such as a DTCP and HDCP.
However, these techniques use a method for authentication so as to satisfy conflicting conditions to have appliance compatibility to reproduce the recorded service program even by another appliance and to protect the service program from being copied by a random connection destination. And these techniques are configured to be established only among specified appliances authenticated by a specific third-party organization such as a DTLA.
Although principal copyright protection for a having been presently providing broadcast program is the DTCP and HDCP, the former (DTCP) has been adapted only to IEEE 1394 and the latter (HDCP) has been adapted only to DVI/HDMI.
A DTCP over IP technology to adapt the DTCP, as a program recording pipe for the next generation, to Ethernet cable which is widely used for the PC appliance or the like is now under examination. In recent years, it has been predicted that the recording appliance possible to record the service program will prevail not only for a tape but for a medium such as a hard disk device (HDD) or digital versatile device (DVD). However, in a PC field, these recording appliances have already secured general positions with low prices and the foregoing copyright protective mechanism is not necessarily required for the PC appliance.
Therefore, all of the recording appliances do not necessarily have the copyright protective mechanism in the case that the recording appliances are used in a so-called network connection state such as Ethernet in which a plurality of appliances are connected with a signal cable. And the viewer needs to appropriately utilize the presence or absence of the copyright protective mechanism of the recording appliances on the network.